Lancaster High School Basketball Head Coach Named Sports Coach of the Year by Howard Payne University

The award is designed to honor former HPU student-athletes who are doing great things in the coaching profession. Coach Douglas was one of three coaches recognized this year by the Howard Payne University Athletic Department.

May 30, 2018

Lancaster, TX/Lancaster ISD – Lancaster High School Head Basketball Coach Ferrin Douglas was recently selected by Howard Payne University (HPU) to receive the 2018 HPU Sports Hall of Fame Coach of The Year Award at the inaugural HPU Sports Alumni Banquet held in Brownwood, Texas.

The award is designed to honor former HPU student-athletes who are doing great things in the coaching profession. Coach Douglas was one of three coaches recognized this year by the Howard Payne University Athletic Department.

“Receiving this honor was very special to me. Taking that trip back to Brownwood, Texas, brought back so many memories,” Douglas said. “I spent five years of my life there. It was pretty much a dream come true to be recognized by my alma mater.”

Douglas is a former Howard Payne athlete and a renowned outstanding, four-year letter-winner for the University’s men’s basketball team. As a Yellow Jacket, Douglas served as a 3-year team captain and led the team to the TIAA Conference Championship in 1992. Douglas received honors as the Defensive Player of the Year in 1992, 1st Team All-Conference in 1994 and went on to receive his bachelors’ degree in 1995.

He shifted from a basketball player and started his coaching career in Lancaster ISD as an assistant coach and soon took a varsity assistant position at Dallas Lincoln High School. At Lincoln, Douglas, he helped to lead the team to a 40-0 record and a Texas 4-A State Championship.

In 2006, Douglas began his head-coaching career at Dallas ISD’s James Madison High School reaching the playoffs in his first season. Douglas returned to Lancaster ISD as the head boys’ basketball coach in 2008 and led the team to the regional finals in 2009 and 2010. Just a few years later, Lancaster earned the Texas 5A-UIL State Championship titles in 2015 and 2016. The teams under his leadership are known for their success at the state level and at the national level, finishing at No. 5 in 2015.

Since returning to Lancaster, Douglas has received a host of recognitions for his daily work. He has been named 15-4A Coach of the Year in 2008, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2014, 2015 and 2016 as well as the PVILCA Coach of the Year in 2015 and 2016. This year, also marked Douglas’ 300th Career win as a basketball head coach and now the receipt of the HPU Alumni Hall of Fame award.

“The support that I received from my coaches and the patience of my teachers while at Howard Payne along with the support of my parents, family and even the people in the neighborhood where I grew up all helped to fuel my passion to be successful,” Douglas said. “I knew that whatever that I was going to do [professionally] I was going to [work] to be the best at it.”